What do you believe to be the dirtiest part of a plane? And no, it's not the toilet. Actually an evaluation of germs per square inch on different surfaces in airports and on planes found that the average tray table harbours nearly 20 times more bacteria than the aircraft toilet flush.

The professional cleaning sector plays a vital role in maintaining health and wellbeing in so many different applications - professional kitchens, the leisure industry, travel and tourism, in the workplace and in the healthcare sector itself.

Benoit Maerten is managing director of Temco Facility Services Europe in Belgium – one of the largest service providers in the country. Having joined the company as a newcomer to the sector in 2011, and with a background in management systems, he quickly saw ways in which to make the business smarter and more efficient.

A UK cleaning contractor has become the first in Europe to achieve the Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) first launched by US-based association ISSA in 2006. Based in London, Principle Cleaning underwent a comprehensive assessment process in order to gain this consensus-based management standard originally developed in the US.

Karl Falkenberg, environment director general of the European Commission is one of many notable speakers discussing the circular economy at RWM 2015, Europe's event for resource efficiency and waste management.

Taking place at the NEC in Birmingham next week, from September 15-17, RWM 2015 will provide practical insight into recycling and waste